Long live horse racing in Chicago? We wouldn’t bet on it without a casino at Hawthorne

Unlike Arlington Park, its bucolic former counterpart, Hawthorne Racecourse has never been a lovely place to watch a horse race. Known to horseplayers as The Thorne, the track is located in southwest suburban Stickney, between Cicero and Laramie avenues, offering a vista of oil refineries and the world’s largest sewage treatment plant. Today, the experience is even grottier. The grandstand has been torn away, and disgruntled gamblers are crowded into a single room near the finish line, with a concession stand selling pizza, tacos, and hot dogs. The track only runs Thoroughbreds two days a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, and many of the races include but six horses, the bare minimum for profitable wagering.